Avene is not cruelty free. This means that their products are tested on animals.
Additionally, Avene is not 100% vegan as a brand. However, they do have some vegan-friendly products.
If you want to learn more about this brand and find out why they’re not cruelty free, keep on reading!
Also, if you want to discover some cruelty free alternatives to Avene, check out the last section of this post where you’ll find some similar brands that are cruelty free.
Let’s dive right in!
Is Avene cruelty free? Are Avene products tested on animals?
Avene is NOT cruelty free.
Let’s look at Avene’s animal testing policy:
Do You Test Your Products on Animals?
The European cosmetic legislation (directive 76/768/CEE amended the 1th March 2003) requires manufacturers to use alternative methods to test new raw cosmetic material and finished products.
In compliance with this directive, we stopped tests on animals many years ago.
In practice, to test our products to ensure that they meet our high quality and safety standards, we use existing data concerning the safety of the specific ingredients used in the products. The tolerance of our finished products is then verified by tests on healthy volunteers.
Finally, we carry out physico-chemical and bacteriological tests to verify the identity on each batch of raw material delivered to our factories. This ensures the purity and quality of the ingredients entering our formulas.
These types of tests are also carried out on each batch of finished products to guarantee the safety and quality of each and every product.
Source: Avene’s website
But there’s a catch:
They’re careful with their words there – Avene claims that they don’t test on animals, but they never mention anything about their suppliers or other third parties testing their products on animals.
Avene products are sold in mainland China, which means that they’re tested on animals there. That means that Avene can’t be cruelty free.
They’ve proudly shared their success on the Chinese market in this post: One Avène product sold every 5 seconds in China.
In 10 years, the Avène brand has succeeded in increasing its geographic coverage twentyfold. It is now established in 200 Chinese cities and distributed in more than 1,000 sales outlets. One Avène product is sold every 5 seconds in China, via one of the 1,500 advisors employed by the French brand.
Pierre Fabre Dermo- Cosmétique is delighted that China is now one of its three leading international markets. China is the market with the strongest growth over the past 10 years and this year is no exception (around 30% growth in 2012). The company’s ambition is to double its turnover here in the next 5 years.
If you’re not sure why brands that sell in mainland China can’t be cruelty free, check out the section below.
Keep on reading for more information!
Is Avene sold in China?
Yes, Avene is sold in mainland China where animal testing is still required by law.
Why can’t cruelty free brands sell in mainland China?
Animal testing is still happening for products sold in physical stores in mainland China.
Pre-market animal testing is required for all special-use imported products, and non-routine post-market testing on animals may also be done in cases of customer complaints.
However, please keep in mind that this doesn’t apply to products sold in stores at the airports, or in Hong Kong.
Also, products can be sold online and shipped to mainland China without being tested on animals.
Is Avene owned by a parent brand? If yes, is it cruelty free?
Avene is owned by Laboratoires Pierre Fabre, a French multinational pharmaceutical and cosmetics company that isn’t cruelty free.
Pierre Fabre products are sold in mainland China, which means that they’re tested on animals.
Pierre Fabre also owns other brands that sell medication, skincare, haircare and more.
Is Avene vegan?
Avene is NOT 100% vegan.
Some of the products listed on their website are labeled as “Animal derived ingredient-free”.
However, they also have some products which do contain animal-derived ingredients:
Our Avène Thermal Spring Water Spray is suitable for use by our vegan customers. In relation to our other formulated products you will need to make a more specific request. Where possible, we try to avoid the use of animal-based or animal-derived ingredients but there are instances where this is not possible and no plant or synthetic alternative is available. We cannot guarantee that our products do not contain animal-based or animal-derived ingredients. However, when plant or synthetic alternatives do become available, we replace our animal-based/derived ingredients in our formulations.
Source: Avene’s AU website (this information is not present in the FAQ within their US website)
Cruelty free and vegan alternatives to Avene
Avene is a French skincare brand, mostly targeting dry and sensitive skin prone to different skin issues.
Some of the best cruelty free alternatives to Avene are:
If you want to discover more cruelty free skincare brands, check out my post on 7 The Best Cruelty Free Skin Care Brands in 2021 That Are Also 100% Vegan and Sustainable.
Now it’s your turn!
What are your favorite cruelty free skincare brands?
Let me know in the comments below!